


Slipping Through the Cracks

by RowArk



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-03 00:27:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4079623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowArk/pseuds/RowArk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: When a fourteen year old Princess Emma from an alternate reality ends up in Storybrooke, Regina takes her in, and Regina and Emma end up falling through the crack to the young Princess's reality, and see what life would have been like if Regina never cast the curse, and the Charmings never put Emma in the wardrobe. Swan Queen ending after lots of heartfelt talks and moments :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Lost Princess

**Slipping Through the Cracks**

* * *

**To slip through the cracks:** to move, unnoticed, past elements intended to detect such things

* * *

**Chapter One: Lost Princess**

"Sooo… what time am I supposed to be meeting you for our next lesson?"

"Emma," Regina turned to her, clearly annoyed, "I've told you at least a dozen times – ooph." Regina stopped short as she slammed right into someone on the sidewalk – or, rather, some who had apparently come from nowhere slammed directly into her, and toppled to the ground. She looked down to see a young blond in a long pink dress, trying to scramble up to a standing position.

"I'm so sorry," the girl started, but her green eyes grew large with fear when she saw Regina's face. "Your Majesty!" she cried, dropping to a kneel in front of her, bowing her head.

Regina's mouth gaped as she looked from Emma, around to the townsfolk who were starting to look on with interest, and down at the young stranger who was now trembling with fear before her. It had been quite some time since anyone had actually feared her presence, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

"It's quite alright, dear. Up you come," she said, putting a hand lightly on the girl's arm, trying to coax her back to standing again. The girl flinched, and stood, trying to avoid eye contact with Regina. Despite her attempt to hide her face, Regina still got a good enough look to recognize this girl almost immediately.

It couldn't be.

"Miss Swan," Regina said, suddenly, turning to Emma. "Can you please go back to the diner, I think I left my keys."

Emma looked at her, confused. "No, I don't think-"

"Now, Sheriff!" Regina insisted. Emma wasn't sure what was happening here, or why Regina had a sudden aversion to using her name, but she recognized the urgency in her voice, and headed back to the diner. She knew Regina's keys weren't there – the Mayor would never be so careless – but whoever this girl was, Regina clearly didn't want Emma around her.

When Regina was sure Emma was out of earshot, she turned back to the young blond. "Can you look at me, dear?" Regina asked. Slowly, the girl lifted her eyes to meet Regina's gaze. "What's your name?"

The girl looked utterly perplexed at the question. Her green eyes darted around like she expected to be attacked at any moment. Given that she was dressed like a princess from the Enchanted Forest, and that she had just addressed her as 'Your Majesty', Regina guessed that very well may have been exactly what she was expecting.

"It's alright, dear, I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me your name," Regina said, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible.

"It's… Emma," the girl said, meeting Regina's gaze again, in confusion.

Regina nodded. "I thought it might be. Who are your parents?" she asked, though she was fairly certain she knew the answer.

"S-Snow White and Prince James," the girl replied. Regina narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment, before remembering that James was the name of the prince that David had impersonated, his late twin.

Regina made a cursory glance around the street. Everyone who had stopped seemed to have lost interest quickly. "Alright," she said, taking the young Emma's arm, "come with me."

Regina couldn't help but notice the girl stiffened at her touch, but followed her nonetheless. Her green eyes took everything in around her with a look of wonder and complete confusion, as Regina took her across the street to Gold's Pawn Shop.

She didn't particularly like asking Gold for help, on a good day, but a teenaged Princess Emma appearing out of nowhere was a little beyond her purview, and she wanted a little insight before she let this child see her adult doppelganger.

"Gold?" Regina called out, they entered the shop. Young Emma looked around, in awe of the things around her, and seemed to make a conscious effort to move away from Regina, the second she let go of her arm.

"Madam Mayor," Gold said, as he stepped out from the back room, "to what do owe this…" his voice trailed off as he took in the sight of the young princess staring back at him.

"Rumplestiltskin," Young Emma whispered, taking a step back.

"It's alright, he won't hurt you," Regina assured her, though she was fairly sure it was useless, considered the girl was quite clearly terrified of her, as well.

"My my… Wherever did you find her?" Gold asked, his interest clearly piqued.

"She just ran into me, on the street. She came out of nowhere. But Gold, she's Emma… but not  _Emma,_ " Regina said, as if he wasn't already well aware. "How is this possible?"

Before he could answer, Emma Swan barged into the shop. "Regina, guess what? Your keys are not at the diner. Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" Emma demanded, looking back and forth between Regina and the young blonde.

Regina sighed. She hadn't wanted Emma to encounter this younger Emma before she had some answers to give. She wasn't even sure  _why_ , she just knew this situation was going to get messy, fast.

"I guess it's true what they say, if you passed yourself on the street, you wouldn't even know," Gold commented.

"What?" Emma asked, shaking her head.

"Emma, meet Emma," Gold shrugged.

" _What?"_  Emma repeated.

"Gold," Regina said, in a cautionary tone.

Gold sighed. "This… reality that we live it, it's not the only one, you know. Countless other realities run concurrent with ours. Parallel, but not touching, until they do. Once in a while, a crack opens, allowing someone to pass through from one, to another. She just… slipped through the crack," Gold said. Emma shuddered at the phrase she had heard all too often growing up. Kids were always slipping through the cracks, and she was certainly one of them. Apparently, the knack for getting a little lost was innate, no matter which reality she was in.

"So, you're saying she's me, from another reality?" Emma asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. But she's not  _you_ , she's herself. She's from a reality a few years behind ours, apparently," Gold said, turning to the Young Emma. "Tell me, Dearie, where were you, before you were here?"

"I was…" Young Emma paused, glancing at Regina before continuing, "I was running, from the Evil Queen. I was in the woods and then I was… here."

"You should know, I'm not the Evil Queen, here. Not anymore," Regina said, turning to the younger Emma.

"Yes, yes, we can all hold hands and sing Kumbaya later," Gold said, annoyed, before turning back to Young Emma. "Tell me, dearie, what do you know about the Dark Curse?"

"Um, the Queen threatened to cast a dark curse, before I was born but… she never did."

"Why?" Gold pressed.

"I… don't know."

"Gold, enough. It doesn't matter. Right now, we need to figure out how to get her back," Regina insisted.

"Well, that, dearie, won't be as easy as you think."

 


	2. Emma Dilemma

"So, what do we do then?" Emma asked, as the younger Emma watched her with keen interest.

"Wait for the universe to correct itself," Gold replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Regina rolled her eyes. "That's it? Just wait for the universe to correct itself? What then, she just disappears again?"

"Precisely. There's no way to force a crack, and no way to predict when one will appear. Two Emmas in one reality will off-set the balance, however, and it will correct itself, in time."

"And in the meantime, what?" Emma pressed, "I just babysit my little mini-me over here?"

"Make no mistake, Emma, she's not a mini-you. She didn't have your life and she will never be you," Gold insisted. "We can only handle so much Emma Swan, you know."

Emma smirked, but didn't reply.

"But, yes, one of you will need to babysit, I suppose. And also be on the lookout for anyone else who may have slipped through," he added, looking pointedly at Regina.

"You don't think…" Regina started, trailing off before she mentioned the name of her former self. The word 'evil' still left a bad taste in her mouth.

"That you-know-who may have followed her through? Anything's possible, dearie," Gold shrugged.

Regina sighed and looked at the silent young princess, who was still fighting to avoid making eye contact, and then at Emma.

"Okay, we need to make a game plan," Emma said.

"I think she needs to stay with me," Regina replied, firmly.

"What? She's terrified of you," Emma insisted.

"She terrified of the Evil Queen," Regina corrected. "Whom, may I remind you, she was with when she slipped through this apparent 'crack', and whom, as Gold said, may also have followed her through. I'm the only person who can protect her."

"I could protect her," Emma said.

"Really? Tell me right now that if the Queen walked up to you, with my eyes and my face, you could kill her?" Regina pressed, her eyes taking on an intensity that put Emma a little on edge.

"Could you?" Emma countered back.

"Yes," Regina said, without a moment of hesitation. "I've been trying to destroy her since the curse broke. I know you, Emma, you would try to win her over and make her see the good inside her. I would take her out in a heartbeat. It would be cathartic, I think."

Emma couldn't help but think that Regina looked like she was  _hoping_  for a showdown with the Evil Queen, and Emma hoped to hell that wasn't happening.

"Please, don't make me go with her," the younger Emma finally spoke up, her eyes pleading with Emma. "This is a trick. If you're me, you have to help me."

"I'm not… you," Emma said, shaking her head, "and Regina's not the Evil Queen. But she's right, you're safest with her."

The princess looked like she might cry. Regina's heart sank. As easy as it was for her to separate  _this_  Emma from the Emma she knew, she couldn't help but feel guilty by proxy for whatever sins the Evil Queen in this alternate reality had committed. She couldn't blame the princess for being terrified, since she could just imagine how she would have terrorized the offspring of Snow White and Prince Charming, had she not cast the curse.

"Maybe… she's safest with both of us," Regina suggested, turning back to Emma.

"Okay, like…" Emma said, trying to follow her train of thought.

"As in, you both stay with me until the crack reopens and she goes home. I have more than enough room, and that way maybe she'll feel a little more at ease."

"How does that sound, Princess?" Emma asked. It seemed awkward to address this girl who was and yet wasn't her, by her name.

Wary green eyes passed back and forth between Emma and Regina, until the girl finally nodded.

Gold grabbed Regina by the arm as they started to head out of the shop. "Watch yourself, Regina," he cautioned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't give her the notion that all Evil Queens can be rehabilitated, just because you seem to think you were."

Regina shook her arm free of Gold, and gave him a final glare before heading back outside to join Emma… and Emma. Emma was on her phone, looking agitated, as the younger version stared on, looking notably confused.

"Regina," Emma shook her head as she ended the call. "I have to go to the station, it's an emergency. I'm going to have to meet you at your place later."

"Fine," Regina nodded.

Young Emma grabbed onto Emma's arm. "You can't leave me!"

Emma cringed. "Honey I… I have to. Listen to me, Regina's really not going to hurt you. And I'll be there as quick as I can. You are safe with her. I wouldn't leave my mini-me in danger, alright?"

Young Emma nodded, reluctantly, and looked at Regina out of the corner of her eye.

"Come along, dear," Regina said, reaching out her hand, but retracting it before making contact with the girl's arm, knowing how she flinched away every time she tried. "I think you'll find my home is not nearly as threatening as you are expecting."

Emma headed off in the opposite direction after reassuring them, again, she wouldn't be long, and Regina led the younger version down the street. She opted to walk back to the mansion, deciding that forcing the already frightened princess into a car when she didn't even know what a car was, might just be too much for her. Walking was better.

"I'm… sorry, for whatever harm the Evil Queen has brought upon you, in your world," Regina said, as they walked. "But I'm really not her, and you really needn't be frightened."

"You do seem different than her," the Princess admitted.

"You said you were running from her?" Regina asked.

"Yes. Well, her black knights and her carriage, but I'm sure she was inside," Emma explained.

"Why was she after you?"

"Rumplestiltskin made a potion that protected my parents from her. She couldn't hurt them, but she could still hurt me. They returned to him after I was born, and asked him to make another potion to protect me, and later my brothers, but he refused every time. He said it couldn't help from inside his cell, and even when they offered to make a deal to let him out, he still refused."

"That potion was never about protecting your parents. It was always about manipulating me… well, her… and me, into casting the dark curse. I suppose with no dark curse, Rumple would have no interest in you, since you aren't the savior in your world," Regina sighed.

The younger Emma studied Regina for a moment, and then continued. "Well, my parents forbid me and my younger brothers to ever leave the palace. There were large walls enacted around the courtyard, but we weren't allowed past. I knew it was meant to protect us, but one day I just… I wanted to get out," Emma sighed, clearly berating herself for her own bad decision.

"You're a runner," Regina remarked.

Emma looked at her in confusion. "I suppose. I just wanted to see what was out there. The Queen – well, she's not even really the Queen anymore, but that's how she's still known. She has eyes everywhere, and it didn't take her long to track me down. And then, I was here."

Regina nodded, thinking about how that very well could have been her life, if she had never cast the curse. She would have been relentless at destroying Snow White's happiness, even if it meant destroying her first born.

She tried to shake the thought from her head. "You said you have brothers?" she asked, changing the subject.

Emma smiled. "Yes. They're twins. James and David, after my father and his late brother. They just turned seven."

"Well, we'll get you back to them, I promise," Regina said, though she had no idea if that was true.

Emma paused in front of the Mifflin street mansion as they approached.

"Not what you were expecting?" Regina asked, smiling.

"Honestly, no," she agreed, shaking her head.

"Well, come inside," Regina instructed, motioning for the princess to follow. "Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat."

Emma paused, her eyes widening. Regina wondered if she might be debating whether whatever she had to offer would be poisoned.

"No apples, I promise," she said. "Come on."

Emma followed her in, reluctantly, and looked around. Regina brought her into the kitchen, so she could watch her make the sandwich, and be sure there really was no poison.

"Emma," Regina said, once they were both sitting at the dining room table. "Do you… have magic?"

Emma's eyes shot up in apprehension. "Why do you think that?" she asked, quietly.

"Because Emma, here, does. It's the result of being the product of true love. I can only guess you'd have the same."

Emma looked down at her plate, at the half eaten sandwich.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Regina pressed.

Emma didn't answer, and moments later they were interrupted by a knock on the door, which caused the princess to jump.

"It's alright, it's probably just Emma… well, you know,  _my_ Emma. I mean, this Emma," Regina stammered, as she got up to answer the door. Her face flushed a little at the 'my Emma' – she had no idea why she'd worded it like that, and it disturbed her.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by not only Emma, but the Charmings as well.

Regina sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Why?" was all she could say.

Emma shrugged. "I told them what was going on, and they…"

Regina noted a hint of something in Emma's eyes that looked an awful lot like jealousy. "She's in the dining room," Regina said, motioning in the direction of the room. "I'm sure she'll be elated to see you again."

Emma kicked off her shoes and headed off. The Charmings moved to follow, but Regina put up her hand to stop them.

"Regina, we just want to see her," Snow insisted.

"Why?"

"Because, she's… well, she's Emma! We never got to see her at this age," Snow explained.

Regina just shook her head. "That girl might look like Emma, but she's not your daughter. She has parents and a family, and she's not here to satisfy your curiosity or to offer you some sort of second chance."

"Regina, in all fairness-" David started.

"No," Regina cut him off, "no 'in all fairness'. There is nothing fair about this situation, and I'm not letting you upset her more than she already is. You're going to look  _exactly_  like the parents she's missing right now, and  _that's_ not fair. You want to parent a child, you have a baby at home. Leave this girl alone."

The Charmings left without any further discussion, and Regina sighed and pressed her back against the door, her eyes closed for a moment. She knew she was being a little too harsh, but she couldn't help but feel fiercely protective of the younger Emma, as if shielding her from anything would make up for how the Evil Queen had been terrorizing her and her family.

As if it would make up for all the people Regina had terrorized in her reign as Evil Queen.

"Holy crap, Regina," Emma said, startling her. Regina opened her eyes to see both Emmas, watching her. The image was unsettling, to say the least.

"They're not her parents," Regina shrugged. "They're yours. Letting Snow and David in would just upset her and probably hurt you, even though you'd never admit it, and…"

"I get it," Emma nodded. "So, now what?"

Regina looked back and forth between the two blondes. "Well, I was thinking… if she's going to have to go back to her reality, we're going to have to send her back equipped to face the Evil Queen."

"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Emma asked.

"If anyone knows her weaknesses, it's me," Regina shrugged. "I'll just have to teach our little Princess how to hit where it hurts the most."

**TBC**


	3. My Emma

**My Emma**

Regina looked at her watch.  “I have to go get Henry from school,” she said.  “You two stay here.   Emma, the less people who know about… this Emma, the better.  If the Evil Queen is here, we need to stay ahead of her.”

Emma nodded, and glanced at her younger lookalike, offering her a reassuring smile.  “It’s gonna be alright, you know,” she reminded her.

Regina sighed, very much aware that Emma had no idea what she would be up against if the Evil Queen really did slip through the crack.  She knew Emma never looked at her as evil, but she was starting to realized that Emma had no idea how truly evil she had really once been.  She hoped that Emma’s fondness for her wasn’t going to cloud her judgment.

“I’m going to put a protection spell over the house,” Regina continued.  “I’ll fill Henry in on everything, and I’ll be back as quickly as I can.  Oh, and Emma, if you’re hungry, there’s leftover lasagna in the fridge.”

“Not for long,” Emma grinned.  “And Regina, everything will be fine.”

Regina nodded and headed out the front door, placing the strongest protection spell she could over the mansion, before poofing her car back to her house, and getting in to go get Henry.

Emma turned back to the young Emma.  “You hungry?” she asked, as she headed to the kitchen to find the lasagna.

“The Qu- uh, I mean… she… made me a sandwich.  I still have some left,” young Emma said, following Emma into the kitchen.

Emma laughed.  “Regina. Her name is Regina, and you can call her that,” she said, as she fished the Tupperware container out of the fridge and popped off the lid before putting it in the microwave.

“Her name is Regina in my world, too,” young Emma said, quietly.

Emma turned back to her, as she waited for her food to heat up.  “I promise, you really, really don’t have to be afraid of her.  I’ve known her for a few years now, and I’m still alive.  My parents have no protection magic in this world, and they’re still alive.  She’s not evil here, I swear.”

“Who’s Henry?” young Emma asked.

Emma laughed again.  “Okay, this is going to be a little complicated.  Henry’s my son, and also Regina’s son.  I gave him up for adoption, and she adopted him.  When he was ten, he brought me here, to break Regina’s curse, and I did.  And now we’re like a weird kind of family, but we make it work,” Emma explained.

“You broke the dark curse?  The Qu- uh, Regina, said I’m not the savior in my world.  Does that mean you are the savior here?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Emma agreed, as the microwave dinged and she reached for her food.  She lead the way back into the dining room, where young Emma sat down to pick at her sandwich some more, while Emma showed no restraint wolfing down the lasagna.

“You already were family, though,” young Emma pointed out.  “Is she not your step-grandmother here?”

Emma scrunched her nose up and shook her head.  “I try not to think about her like that.  It’s just… it’s weird.  We’re friends here.  And co-mothers.”

Young Emma nodded, and then a small smile crept onto her lips.

“What?” Emma asked.

“Your father… Regina called him David.  My father is David, too.  Everyone in the Kingdom thinks he’s his brother, James.  I guess that means he doesn’t have to hide, here?”

Emma nodded.  “Yeah, he can just be David here.”

“Inside the palace, my mother calls him ‘Charming’.”

Emma smiled.  “Mine, too.”

Emma watched her younger counterpart as she continued to slowly eat her sandwich.  The reality started to hit her that this really could have been her, if some circumstances had been different.  She knew she was meant to be a princess, but the thought of that had never really been tangible before in her mind.  Now, looking at this girl, she could see who she was meant to be all along: the sweet young princess growing up in a palace with her parents.

But then again, this girl would never meet Neal and never have Henry.  And Regina wasn’t her friend, she was an evil witch who was hunting her down.  Emma decided that the princess status wouldn’t really be worth it, considering what the price would be.

Plus, pink?  _Really?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and Henry’s hurried footsteps coming down the hall.

“Oh, wow, it really is you!” he exclaimed, as he laid eyes on the princess.

“Emma, this is Henry,” Emma said.  The princess stood and curtseyed.

“That’s really not necessary,” Regina said, as she came up behind Henry.  “We left a lot of the old world formalities in the Enchanted Forest.”

“So, what now?” Emma asked, as she dropped her fork into the now empty Tupperware container.

“Did you eat _all_ that lasagna?” Regina said, raising an eyebrow.

Emma shrugged.  “I was hungry.  And it was delicious.”

Regina shook her head.  “Well, now, my dear, you get to help Henry with his homework, while Emma and I talk about how we’re going to handle this,” Regina said, motioning towards young Emma with her eyes.

Emma groaned and got up.  “Please tell me it’s not math, kid!”

Henry laughed.  “Sorry,” he said, as he started to head out.  Emma followed him up to this room, while Regina led young Emma into the living room.

“Before, when we were talking, you seemed to get upset when I asked you about magic.  Can you tell me why?” Regina asked, as they sat down on the couch.

Emma looked down and started playing with the soft fabric of her dress, nervously.

“If you have magic, I need you to tell me,” Regina continued, when the princess made no attempt to speak up.  “You can use it to protect yourself.”

“My parents don’t know,” she whispered, finally.  “My mother says magic will darken your soul.  I don’t want to turn….”

“Evil?” Regina offered.  Emma looked up, seemingly surprised.  “It’s alright, you can say the word.  But Emma, if your magic is anything like my Emma’s magic, you don’t need to worry.  It’s as light as can be.  Light magic can’t blacken your heart.”  As the reality of the situation started to settle in, Regina found she wasn’t so bothered by her tendency to refer to Emma as ‘my Emma’.  She meant it for clarity, but she actually kind of liked the way it sounded.

Emma looked up to meet Regina’s gaze, studying her dark eyes.  Regina could see all of the apprehension and fear that still plagued those wary green eyes, and decided perhaps it would be best to stop pushing, for now.  “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do,” she said, “but I can teach you to use your magic, if you want me to.  I’ve been teaching my Emma for a while now.”

“Then couldn’t Emma teach me?” young Emma asked, hopefully. 

Regina wondered if the prospect of learning magic from the former Evil Queen who looked just like this Emma’s current Evil Queen was just too much to process at the moment.  “No, she can’t.  She’s not ready.  But she could help.  You wouldn’t have to be alone with me, doing magic, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Emma nodded again, looking a little defeated.  “Can I think about it?”

“Yes, dear, absolutely,” Regina nodded.  She hoped the child would make up her mind quickly, however, since she had no idea how long they would have before the crack reopened.  The first crack landed the girl face to face with Regina, and Regina feared the same thing happening when a crack opened to take her back.

“Why didn’t you let your Snow White and David in your home?” Emma asked, tentatively, after a prolonged silence.

Regina smiled.  “It wasn’t because of bad blood, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said.  “Snow and I are… well, I’m sure she’d say friends.  I don’t know if I’d go that far, yet, but we did make amends and we do get along.  She’s my son’s grandmother, after all.”

“So then why?” Emma pressed.

“Because… in this reality, they didn’t meet Emma until she was twenty eight.  They missed her at fourteen, and they want to see you, because of it, and I was worried about Emma getting hurt.  And you, too.  They’re not your parents, they’re hers, and I needed them to understand that.”

“You seem protective over your Emma,” the young princess remarked.

Regina let out a small laugh.  “Stick around long enough, dear, and you’ll see it’s actually very much the other way around.  Emma feels protective over me.”

“But why?  You’re the…” Young Emma’s voice trailed off, as she still opted to avoid the ‘E’ word, “I mean, why would you need protection?”

“Emma, the Evil Queen is not nearly as strong as she’d like you to believe.  Trust me, I know.”

“My mother thinks there’s no chance she could be rehabilitated,” Emma continued, “but here… I mean, you and Emma… maybe…”

“Emma and I have gotten to the place we are at because we’ve been to hell and back together, several times.  It wasn’t an easy road, and it took a lot of perseverance on her behalf.  On top of that, I had a reason to compel me to change, which was my son, Henry.  Your Evil Queen… she may never be able to get to this point,” Regina said, sadly.

“You wouldn’t have, if not for Henry?” Emma asked.

“Honesty, no, I don’t think so,” Regina admitted.

“You’re friends with Snow White, you have a family with Emma,” Emma said, recounting everything she had learned.

“Emma and I don’t have a _family_ ,” Regina insisted.  “We just happen to share a son.”

“Oh.  She said family.  I just assumed that’s how you both looked at it. I’m sorry,” Emma said, blushing a little.

“It’s alright,” Regina nodded, patting Emma’s hand.  This time, the girl didn’t flinch.  “Go on, what were you going to say?”

“Just that… if you could change, then that means it was in you to change.  It must be in her, too, right?  Do you think the goodness in you could have ever been snuffed out completely?”

Regina drew in a deep breath, and thought about that for a moment.  “I killed my own father,” she said, finally.  Emma drew her hand back at the confession, but didn’t take her eyes off of Regina’s.  “I do think it could have been.”

“My Evil Queen’s father is still alive,” Emma said.

Regina raised her eyebrow.  “The heart of the thing I loved the most, that was the final ingredient for the Dark Curse.  Perhaps she couldn’t go through with it.”

“Well, it would have been difficult to obtain,” Emma commented.

“What do you mean?”

Emma looked at her, confused.  “Well, because Cora has it.”

Regina felt her heart drop to her stomach.  “Cora’s alive?  In your world, she’s alive?”

Emma nodded.  “Is she not, here?”

Regina shook her head, but didn’t offer any information on how Cora had come to be departed from life in this realm.  “Your reality may be a lot more different than I had originally thought,” she acknowledged.  “Is Cora in the Enchanted Forest?”

Emma nodded.  “She’s with the Queen in the dark castle.”

Regina sighed.  “Wonderful,” she said, sarcastically.  “Now we have two evil witches to go up against.”

“We?”

“Emma and I, we’re going to do everything in our power to equip you for when you return, whether you choose to learn magic or not.”

Emma looked down at Regina’s hand, which was still sitting on the couch where it had dropped when Emma had pulled hers away.  She reached out, tentatively, and put her hand over Regina’s.  “I want to learn magic.”

Regina smiled, and moved her hand to squeeze Emma’s.  “This is a war you can win, my dear.  If I can’t face her myself, I’m going to make damn sure you’re ready.”

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

"Please tell me you learned to read Elfish?" Regina asked, as she poofed Cora's spell book into her hand in a cloud of purple smoke. Young Emma gasped and her eyes went wide. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Yes, I've just… I've never actually  _seen_  magic before," Emma confessed, breathing a heavy sigh. "And yes, I learned some Elfish. There's not much to do when I can't leave the courtyard, so I mostly read."

"Good. Well, not good that you had to grow up so isolated, but good that you learned. That will be helpful," Regina nodded. "Now, you magic is completely innate, which means it comes from inside you, and I'm going to teach you how to control it. Your magic is stronger than…." Regina let her voice trail off, as something else occurred to her.

"Stronger than what?" Emma asked, her eyes wide in anticipation.

"Do you know who Maleficent is?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "The sorceress who can turn into a dragon. She attacked the Dark Palace on my family's behalf."

"She did?" Regina asked, more than a little shocked.

"Yes. That surprises you?" the princess asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, actually. In my… well, in my reality, Maleficent and I were friends in the Enchanted Forest. Well, as friendly as two dark sorceresses hell-bent on revenge could be, I suppose. She tried to talk me out of casting the dark curse and convince me to let go of my anger. Obviously, I didn't heed her advice. What happened in your world?"

"It all happened before I was born, but my parents helped Maleficent protect her daughter," Emma explained.

"Lily," Regina nodded.

"Yes," Emma smiled, "they made a kind of deal, and Lily grew up under the protection of my Kingdom. We're friends."

Regina nodded, as her worries were confirmed. In the princess's timeline, Snow helped Maleficent, which had to mean she didn't push Emma's darkness into the child.  _This_  Emma had all the potential for evil that had been removed from her Emma. Magic might not be as safe as she thought.

Then again, what other choice did she have?

"Come with me, dear," Regina said, standing. The princess looked apprehensive for a moment, and Regina was well-aware that she wasn't completely sold on her not being evil yet. "I need to talk to Emma about something. You can come and chat with Henry, and he can tell you what happened in this reality."

The princess nodded and got up to follow Regina upstairs to Henry's room. On Regina's advice, Henry pulled out his storybook and began to fill the princess in on everything that was different in this reality, while Regina beckoned for  _her_  Emma to come with her.

"What's up?" Emma asked, once they were back downstairs and complete out of earshot with the two left upstairs.

"We may have an issue," Regina sighed. "I was just talking to… Emma, and as it turns out,  _her_ Snow White and Prince Charming never put her darkness into Lily."

"Okay," Emma nodded. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that if we teach her magic, we run the risk of darkening her heart. There was no curse in her world. She's not the savior. She could become a villain," Regina explained.

Emma nodded slowly, processing the information. "So, if we can't teach her magic, then what can we do?"

Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "Magic is the only way I know to fight. It's the only way the Evil Queen knows, too. It has to be magic."

"Or," Emma said, grinning as she got an idea, "we could take magic right out of the equation."

"How do you propose to do that? Her Snow White already has her protection spell, which means they already used fairy dust on her, and you know from experience that that trick doesn't work twice."

"Right, I wasn't even thinking fairy dust. We have another way to block magic that the Evil Queen will know nothing about," Emma said, waiting for Regina to catch on.

"You don't mean the cuff?" Regina asked, shaking her head when Emma grinned. "We only have one, and it's currently in use."

"Yes, I know, but we also have an entire world without magic and only one small town that does that can't be penetrated from the outside," Emma reminded her.

"So, what, we take Zelena over the town line, take the cuff back, and send it with Emma back to her world?"

Emma nodded. "You got a better idea?"

Regina sighed. "No. But what about Robin? Zelena is pregnant with his child, if you recall?"

"Yeah, well, in the real world there's a thing called custody. Robin can take her to court when the baby's born," Emma shrugged, as if it were a non-issue.

"I'll have to run it by him first," Regina sighed. "It's his child."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Do what you need to do, I guess. But remember, time is of the essence. And it's a matter of life or death for our little princess."

Regina nodded. "I'll go now. The house is under a protection spell.  _Don't_ go anywhere."

Emma rolled her eyes again, "yes Mom!" she said, mockingly.

"Emma, I'm serious. We still don't know if the Queen came through the crack, and she will kill you as soon as look at you."

"I know," Emma nodded, looking more serious this time. "Go. We'll stay here. No one is getting in or out.

* * *

It didn't take Regina long to track down Robin. Not surprisingly, he was at the hospital, visiting Zelena… again.

"Hey," he said, leaning in to kiss Regina, but she backed away. She was already on edge, and Robin's frequent visits to Zelena irked her to no end.

"We have to talk," Regina said, pulling Robin to the side in the hallway. She filled him in on the lost princess and the alternate reality. He looked a little lost, but he had travelled to enough realms to understand that there was much in the world beyond their own world or even their own reality.

"So, what's the plan?" Robin asked.

"We need Zelena's cuff," Regina said, simply.

"But doesn't that leave Storybrooke in danger, if she has her powers back?" Robin asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"It would," Regina agreed, "if she were in Storybrooke."

"Regina, what are you saying?"

"We need to take her over the town line."

"Regina! She's carrying my child," Robin protested.

Regina cringed. "I know. But if we don't we will be sending a fourteen year old  _child_  to her immanent death. Emma says you can fight Zelena for custody once the child is born," Regina explained.

"Oh,  _Emma says,_ " Robin said, shaking his head. "Well, I guess if it's what Emma thinks is best, to hell with the rest of us, right? Always need to follow the savior."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "What is wrong with you?"

Robin paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Regina, I'm sorry that this other Emma is in trouble, but I will  _not_  risk losing  _my_  child because of it."

Regina's eyes went dark in a way Robin had never really seen before, and it startled him. "Fine. If that's how you feel, you might as well leave with her!"

* * *

After Regina had been gone a while, Emma got bored waiting for her downstairs and trudged back up the stairs to Henry's room, where the young princess was hanging on his every word as she told her all about the curse and Storybooke, and everyone's new identities.

Emma smiled and shook her head at the enthralled younger version of herself, as she flopped herself down on her stomach at the foot of Henry's bed, announcing her presence.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, nudging his mother in the ribs with his foot.

"Nothing," Emma sighed, swatting at Henry's foot, "just the saviors of Storybrooke trying to save the day, as always."

"Saviors?" the princess asked. "Aren't you the only savior?"

Emma shrugged. "Regina helps," she winked.

Henry rolled his eyes and looked at the princess. "More like Regina does everything and Emma helps."

"Hey!" Emma protested, though Henry's assessment wasn't actually wrong. Regina had proven herself a hero over and over again, and truthfully, Emma knew more often than not she'd be completely screwed if she had to deal with magical creatures attacking Storybrooke on her own.

"And," Henry added, "Emma might have broken the first curse, but Regina broke the second one."

"There were two curses?" the princess asked.

Emma smirked. "Yeah, Regina helped my mother – Snow White – cast the second one. And then she broke it. The irony."

The princess scrunched up her nose, confused as to what 'irony' meant, but she didn't get a chance to answer as Regina stepped into the doorway, holding up the cuff.

"Wow, that was fast," Emma commented, sitting up. It only took a second to register the distraught look on Regina's face, and she got up instantly, urging the brunette to leave the room as she followed. Henry got back to telling the princess more about Storybrooke as Emma and Regina headed back downstairs.

"So," Emma started, since Regina was making no attempt to speak first. "You took Zelena over the town line?"

"Yes," Regina sighed. "I took Zelena… and Robin… and Roland… over the town line."

"What?" Emma gasped, unable to mask her shock.

Regina nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "He wouldn't leave her," she said finally. "Emma, I know this isn't the time to deal with this, because we have so much else to worry about, but… he down there every day visiting her. That's where I found him today. I'm so  _stupid_. I should have known."

"Hey," Emma said, wrapping her arms around Regina. "You're not stupid. He's stupid."

In spite of herself, Regina let out a small laugh, as she brought her arms around Emma. She didn't cry, she just revelled in the feeling of being comforted. Hugs from anyone by Henry had been somewhat of a rarity in her life, and she cherished every one she got.

She didn't let herself get lost in the feeling too long, however. "We can talk about this more later," she said. "We have a princess to save right now."

"Yeah," Emma agreed. Regina was right, of course, but at the same time, Emma worried that she might not be so open about this in the future. It was a touchy subject in the first place, since Emma has been the one to unknowingly bring Zelena back into Regina's life, but she hoped the brunette would let her in and help her get through this latest heartbreak.

 


	5. Chapter 5

"So, this cuff, it will render the Queen without magic?" the younger Emma reiterated, as she fiddled with the cuff in her hands, after Emma and Regina had explained the plan.

"Yes," Regina nodded.

"So all I have to do is get it on her wrist?" the princess asked.

"Yes, well, I don't think you should be the one to do it," Regina replied. "You need to keep it with you, until the crack reopens, so you can take it with you into your world. Give it to your parents, ask them to get help from the Blue Fairy."

"The Blue Fairy?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you hated her?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, the feeling is mutual, trust me. I can only imagine it's the same in her world, and so Blue should be  _more_  than happy to help."

"So, does this mean I don't have to learn magic?" the princess asked, finally.

Regina sighed. "I don't know if learning magic is the best idea," she admitted. "At least not from me."

"Alright," the princess agreed quickly, as she hadn't really been keen on the idea of learning magic in the first place.

"So, now, what? We just wait?" Emma asked.

"Apparently so," Regina agreed. "Are you hungry? I could make dinner," she offered, looking at the time.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Emma laughed.

* * *

Emma sat across from her teenage doppelganger at the dinner table, regarding her polite table manners with amused curiosity. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she ever took such delicate bites of food.

For her part, Regina seemed to notice, too.

"I hope you're learning something," she said, pointedly, at Emma.

"What? You don't like the way I eat?" Emma asked, in mock defense.

"You eat every meal like you haven't seen food in a week. And I know for a fact you just ate two portions of lasagna not even three hours ago. I don't know where you put it all."

Emma shrugged. "High metabolism, I guess. Savior-ing requires lots of energy."

"Apparently," Regina sighed.

Inwardly, Regina had to wonder if Emma's atrocious eating habits were the result of her upbring in the foster system. She supposed they must be, but the blonde never mentioned it, no matter how much Regina teased her, and Regina had decided maybe it wasn't her place to broach the subject. If Emma wanted to talk about it, she assumed she would do so when she was ready.

Shortly after dinner, Regina could see that the princess was all but falling asleep on the couch.

"Apparently reality-jumping also requires a lot of energy," she commented. "How about we get you set up in the guest bedroom?"

The princess followed Regina up the stairs, as Emma and Henry set up a video game. Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"You can borrow some pajamas," Regina said, as he offered the princess a pair of red silk pajamas. She knew her Emma would probably prefer to sleep in an old t-shirt or something, but this Emma was a princess and used to finer things.

"Thank you," the younger Emma smiled, as she took the pajamas from her. "For everything."

Regina smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. "There's an en suite bath-" she stopped herself as she realized this girl had no idea what a bathroom was. "Actually, follow me, I'll show you."

After an awkward crash course on the wonders of indoor plumbing, Regina also explained how the lights worked and asked the princess if she had any more questions.

"Uh, I don't think so?" she stammered, a little overwhelmed by everything.

"My room's right there," Regina said, leading Emma back to the doorway and pointing out her bedroom door, "and Emma will be in that room," she continued, pointing out another door, "if you need anything at all in the night, come and get one of us, okay?"

The princess nodded. "Yes," she agreed.

"Good night, sweetheart," Regina said, placing a hand lightly on the princess's forearm, "and don't worry. Everything will be fine."

The princess gave a thin smile as Regina stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

* * *

After an hour, Regina had had quite enough of listening to Emma and Henry playing video games while she tried to read, and so she sent Henry up to his room to finish his homework before bed.

Emma put the game away and came back to join Regina on the couch.

"Hey," she said, as she pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Hey," Regina replied, not looking up from her book.

"You okay?"

Regina sighed, and put her book down. She looked at Emma for a moment, trying to decide what to say. "No," she said, finally, "not really. But I should be used to this by now."

"Used to what?" Emma asked, scooting a little closer to Regina.

"Losing," Regina shrugged. "Maybe some people just aren't meant to be happy. Gold thinks I should just take what I want and to hell with everyone else, but that's not who I am anymore. It seems to work for my sister, though."

"Do you really think your sister is happy?" Emma asked, seriously.

"Don't you? She has everything she wants."

"I don't believe that. She thinks her happiness will come from your suffering, but that's not happiness. That's just… sick."

"I thought my happiness would come from your mother's suffering," Regina pointed out.

"Yeah, and did it?"

Regina shook her head. "No."

"Exactly. Do you really think Zelena will be happy living with a man she doesn't love, and playing step-mommy to his kid, while having a baby that she probably doesn't want either? I know it sucks now, but I don't think you're going to lose in the long run. Robin will come back," Emma reasoned.

"What if I don't want him back?" Regina asked.

"Don't you?"

"I don't know. He made his choice today. Am I supposed to wait around for him to change his mind?"

"No," Emma agreed. "You're worth more than that. But what about the pixie dust? I thought it was never wrong?"

Regina laughed and shook her head. "No magic is foolproof," she shrugged. "I just can't believe that I would be fated to be with a man who always puts me second. Daniel always put me first. Always. Is it too much to want that again?"

Emma shook her head. "Not at all. Can I tell you something? Honestly?"

"Yes," Regina nodded.

"I never thought Robin was good enough for you."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why didn't you say something before?"

Emma laughed. "What was I supposed to say? Hey, Regina, I don't like your boyfriend? I thought the dirty looks every time he was in the room would have given it away. Perhaps I was too subtle?"

In spite of herself and the situation, Regina had to smile. "Perhaps I should have taken a hint when you brought his wife back?"

Emma's smile dropped off her face, instantly. "Regina, you know I didn't know."

"I know," Regina nodded. "I was kidding. I thought a joke might let you know I'm over it. I mean, you did bring my crazy evil psycho sister back, but then again, I saved her life from that spell, so I guess we both screwed up."

"Wicked," Emma corrected. "She's not evil, she's wicked."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, how silly of me." Suddenly, Regina's face fell. "This isn't going to work."

"What? What won't work?"

"I completely forgot: Emma told me Cora's in the Enchanted Forest. There's only one cuff!"

"What? How could you forget to tell me that Cora's in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma cried.

"Well, I was a little distracted!" Regina snapped back. Emma could tell by the look in her eyes that this was not the time to press the issue, and it wouldn't help anyway.

"Okay... so what do we do?"

"We have no other choice. She's going to have to learn magic, and we're going to have to hope that the light in her is strong enough to protect her heart."

* * *

It was well past midnight when Regina was ripped from her sleep by a shriek from another room. It took a moment for her to orient herself, and remember that it wasn't just herself and Henry in the house tonight, she had not one, but  _two_  Emmas there as well.

So which was was screaming?

She took a guess, and checked the princess's room first, and quickly discovered she'd picked right.

The girl was frantically flailing in her bed, but not quite awake. Regina made her way across the room quickly, and sat on the edge of the bed before shaking the younger Emma's shoulders to wake her.

"Emma? Emma wake up," Regina said.

Emma's eyes shot open, and widened with fear as soon as she saw who had their hands on her shoulders. She cried out again, and moved away from Regina as quickly as possible, and it didn't take much for Regina to figure out  _who_  Emma's nightmare was about.

"Shh, sweetie, it's okay. It's okay, it was just a dream. You're safe. I'm just Regina, remember?"" Regina spoke in a hushed voice, trying to calm the agitated princess down. She reached out a hand to try to touch Emma's shoulder, but Emma reacted with an offshoot of magic. A bright white blast left her fingers as she pulled her hands up to shield herself from Regina, resulting in a smashed mirror across the room.

"Oh, no," Emma breathed, looking at her hands in disbelief, then to Regina with wide, questioning eyes.

"It's okay, it's just magic," Regina assured her, flicking her wrist to return the mirror to normal. "It's out of control because you're scared. Just try to calm down."

Emma took in a few deep breaths, and seemed to relax a bit, and Regina hoped that meant she was remembering where she was, and who  _she_  was, and that the Evil Queen was far, far away.

"I dreamed she was after me," Emma whispered.

"I guessed as much," Regina nodded. "Perhaps I wasn't the best person to wake you."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, pouting at the thought that she had offended her hostess in her home.

"Nonsense. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I broke your mirror," Emma pointed out.

"And I fixed it," Regina shrugged. "You were upset, it wasn't your fault. But it was just a dream, sweetheart, you don't need to be afraid."

Emma nodded. "I know it was just a dream, but it's going to happen, still. I'm going to go back and she's going to come after me again. I'm not really safe."

Regina sighed. The girl had a point. Her safety was an illusion, and they had no way of even knowing how long that illusion would last. "Do you want me to stay with you?" she asked, without thinking. When Henry had nightmares, Regina would often stay with him until he fell asleep, but she was never the subject of his nightmares and the source of his fears.

To her surprise, the princess nodded. "My mother does that when I have a bad dream," she explained. "I feel safest when she holds me. I miss her so much." That was all it took for the tears to start to fall, and Regina wasted no time scooting closer to the girl and wrapping her arms around her.

"I know you miss her," she said, stroking Emma's soft blonde hair. "You'll be back with her soon, I promise.

The princess relaxed into Regina's embrace as they settled down onto the pillow, Regina intending to cuddle Emma back to sleep, as she had done to Henry when he was much younger.

"Tomorrow, my dear," Regina said, before Emma could drift off fully, "we will need to teach you how to control your magic."

"Okay," Emma agreed, nestling in closer against Regina.

Regina sighed as she stroked Emma's hair. It wasn't long before the princess fell back asleep, but Regina stayed awake long after, just in case she had another bad dream.

And a disturbing thought occurred to her: when the crack reopened and this Emma went back, they would have no way of knowing what happened to her. She shuddered at the thought that Emma could march right into her imminent death, and they would never even know it. She hugged the girl tighter, trying to shake that gruesome thought from her mind.

She wished she could have an ounce of the Charmings' annoyingly eternal hope at this moment. Lord knows they were going to need it.


End file.
